About Them Dawgs: Tavarres King

Editor’s note: Each day between now and Georgia’s Capital One Bowl date with Nebraska, we will review the season for a key Bulldogs player and attempt to project what’s next. Today we’ll look at wide receiver Tavarres King.

Role in 2012: The senior posted another productive season, functioning as the Bulldogs’ top deep threat and leading the team with 846 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

The good: King came close to matching his single-game school record for receiving yardage (205 yards last season in the Outback Bowl against Michigan State) when he caught nine balls for 188 yards in a 29-24 win against Kentucky this fall. And he was an absolute warrior against Alabama, totaling 142 yards with several catches that kept drives alive and helped set up touchdowns. King is fourth in UGA history with both 2,498 career receiving yards and 19 touchdown catches.

The bad: King’s career production ranks among the best in school history, but he did not make much of an impact in two of Georgia’s biggest games this season. He had just one catch for 16 yards in the Bulldogs’ loss to South Carolina and Florida’s secondary held him without a reception, snapping a streak of 22 straight games in which he caught at least one pass.

Crystal ball: ESPN Scouts Inc. considers King as a top-100 prospect in the upcoming NFL draft and he will have the opportunity to show off his abilities at the Capital One Bowl against the nation’s No. 1 pass defense in Nebraska, as well as at the Senior Bowl. With an average of 21.7 yards per catch this season, King has proven himself to be a highly effective deep threat, a skill that should translate well to the next level.